laid

American  

[leyd] / leɪd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of lay.

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laid British  

/ leɪd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of lay 1

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Other Word Forms

• well-laid adjective

Compare meaning

How does laid compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• laid vs. lain

Explanation

Laid means "set down." If you built a brick wall, and then when it's done your neighbor complains that the wall crosses onto his property, tell him, "too late! The brick has already been laid." Laid is the past participle of the verb, lay, which means set down. So something that has been laid has already been set down. You might scramble up the eggs the chickens laid yesterday. Before your guests come over, your table should have been laid. Or you might examine the foundations that the builder laid down for the house you're building. We often use laid if we want to emphasize how carefully something has been done.

Example Sentences

Berdymukhamedov touched down at the ceremony in a white helicopter, where a traditional carpet was laid out across the tarmac.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Alyssa Galvan, a content strategist and editor who worked at Meta for more than seven years before being laid off, told me that between May 2023 and August 2024, she had just two job interviews.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

There are rows upon rows of tents with piles of clothes laid out on plastic sheets.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

In a scathing order, Nunley laid out why he was compelled to take such a rare step.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Clare unclasped his cloak and laid it over her, tucking it carefully around her.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• arrange
• establish
• leave
• locate
• plant
• set
• settle
• spread
• stick